Go Boomer: OU softball lands transfer commitment from Utah star Abby Dayton
Now we’re rolling with OU softball and the transfer portal. The first one was in the books Friday, and it didn’t take long for head coach Patty Gasso to let everybody know No. 2 was on the way Sunday.
OU gets a big one and a necessary one from former Utah star outfielder Abby Dayton. You could sort of see the dots connecting during the early part of the week.
It makes sense from both sides, and it’s a great way to add another potent bat offensively, who has made her own dazzling plays in the field.
Abby Dayton, OF, Utah (2 years)
The batting champ of the Pac-12, hitting .431 last season. Dayton was All-Pac-12 in each of her first two seasons. She was a third-team All-American as a sophomore. Dayton added two home runs and 28 RBIs this season and earned 27 walks.
OU transfer portal commitments
Isabela Emerling, C, North Carolina (2 years)
Emerling will have two seasons of eligibility remaining and is coming off a fantastic sophomore season. Emerling hit .323 with 14 home runs and 53 RBIs. And she’ll have some guidance from a former catcher, if needed, as Kinzie Hansen is staying in Norman as a grad assistant.
Who’s leaving? Who’s returning?
We’ve said it repeatedly, but again, 2025 is going to be incredibly different. There are so many names OU fans and softball fans have been accustomed to hearing that are gone.
That senior class went 235-15 with the four national championships.
“This generation, they’ve taught me a lot about coaching,” Gasso said. “They taught me how to accept who they are and how it looks. I mean, I think that has a lot to do with a lot of things, that I just allowed them to be them. It’s hard sometimes because some of it I’m like, oh, no. But it’s important to them. They’ve taught me how to coach better.”
OU lost 10 seniors. Then add another three in the portal (Avery Hodge, Quincee Lilio, SJ Geurin). Hodge is going to LSU. Geurin is headed to Auburn. Lilio, also staying in the SEC, at South Carolina.
OU has eight players coming back and is adding eight freshmen. Based on the usual OU numbers, and after adding Emerling and Dayton, you can assume around three spots are there.
Let the fun continue.
